Half a moth catch

Thanks to Reuben for doing the other half of the moth catch as a whistle-stop morning visit covering half of the toilet floor produced quite a time-consuming bag-full of common species including the start of the overlap period between Shoulder-striped Wainscot and Smoky Wainscot.

No obvious sightings of any birds

Figure of Eighty

Heysham Obs
A few previous Heysham records of this moth & one this morning in the trap

Middleton IE
There have been two recent records of Common Lizard to add to those seen at the Belted Beauty site near Potts Corner.  These are the first wild reptiles seen in the Obs recording area.  Slow Worm next?

Where are the small seagulls?

Heysham Obs
...........either late or there is no food on the outfalls due to 'outages'.  Just five Black-headed Gulls Red Nab on the incoming tide

Ringing by the office
A couple of hours confirmed the first successful breeding of Willow Warbler on the reserve for 'some years' with the capture of three recently fledged young.  A couple of unringed and a couple of ringed adult Whitethroat & juveniles of  Lesser Whitethroat, Robin & Blue Tit completed the haul

Breeding birds
Oystercatcher actually at the egg laying stage on the non-operational land after several years of showing interest - a new tetrad & site breeding record.  Also a re-laying Ringed Plover on four eggs

Insects
Painted Lady - by the office
Small Skipper - first of the summer (& plenty of Large Skipper)
Black-tailed Skimmer - 5 males Middleton model boat pond but no sign of any darters
Double Dart - first of the year in the trap

New moth species

Heysham Obs
Obscure Wainscot (see left) has hitherto been restricted to Leighton Moss with occasional wanderers to the garden moth traps at Yealand and Warton, along with the regularly trapped Gaitbarrows area

One was in the HNR hut trap this morning along with the first of the year of its much more widespread relative, Clay. A single worn Shaded Pug, two of the migrant Diamond-back Moth and the third record of the presumably overlooked Mompha ochraceella completed the 'worth mentioning' category.

Dog-walk pond
Goldfish - 50+
Emperor dragonfly - 3+
Black-tailed Skimmer - 1
4-spotted Chaser - 10+

Middleton IE
Little Ringed Plover - on the model boat pond
Lapwing - single youngster virtually fledged
Black-tailed Skimmer - 3

Equally impressive moth-wise was a new 10km square pyralid taken during a sheet and light session at Middleton IE last night (see pic) [per John Girdley].   This is Platyptilia gonodactyla, one of the 'plume' moths

Sunny but polar

Heysham Obs
A wind direction the scousers like, but few of us in the north of the county.  It kept the temperature hovering just a little bit too low for a dragonfly-fest

Middleton IE
Birds
Pair of Gadwall on the fence pond, then flew south
At least two Reed Warblers

Dragonflies
4-spotted Chaser - c25
Black-tailed Skimmer - 2 males
Emperor - one male
plenty of Azure, Common Blue & Blue-tailed damselflies and two Large Red Damselflies

No coastal birding I am aware of today

Yet another period of absence coming up - could one of you please post daily updates, even negative ones, from Friday to Friday please.  Thanks.  Implicitly, no moth trap checking from me Friday to Thursday inclusive

Belated minimal midsummer WeBs

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/Ocean Edge
Oystercatcher - 207
Shelduck - 2
Ringed Plover - male Ocean Edge beach - another risky nesting attempt nearby?
Scattering of large, but no small, gulls.

Heliport/harbour
Oystercatcher - 2!!!
Cormorant - 3
plus a scattering of mainly nesting large gulls

Moths
Another Shaded Pug but catch down due to NE winds

Green Woodpecker and Little Ringed Plover reappear

Heysham Obs
Most of the action was at Middleton IE with Ocean Edge gulls down to:
Black-headed Gull - 3
Common Gull - 5 x 2CY, 1 x 3CY

Middleton IE
CES ringing included one male Grasshopper Warbler (of at least four singing first thing), two lots of recently fledged Sedge Warbler, two new adult female Lesser Whitethroat, a female Swallow with a massive brood patch and what appears to be the sole remaining Lapwing chick

Other sightings included:
Green Woodpecker - recorded by Malcolm during the WeBS
Reed Warbler - at least 3 singing males
Little Ringed Plover - male, seemingly on its own just feeding on the edge of the model boat pond
Tufted Duck - now 5 on the model boat pond (4 males)
Coot - 7 chicks seen on the weBS
Mallard - 7 chicks seen on the WeBS
Little Grebe - recorded at three sites
On the downside, only one House Martin and one Swift were seen and no sign of any recently fledged Reed Bunting

Moths
Perhaps surprisingly, Small Clouded Brindle was the most numerous moth in an actinic catch at Middleton with Shaded Pug and Eudonia pallida also notable.  More Shaded Pugs in the Heysham NR hut trap.  The highlights from the hut trap were the first Shark for several years, along with the first Broad-barred White of the year

Another baby wader survives against the odds

Heysham Obs
No time to do the coastal stuff today

Middleton IE
Reed Warbler - 3 singing males, two western marsh, one central marsh
Lapwing - at least one young just about to fly by the model boat pond and the female seeming to be sitting on eggs again
Tufted Duck - pair doing nothing on model boat pond (nest failure by the local pair?)

Insects
Black-tailed Skimmer - one on model boat pond, but too windy for dragonflies
Shaded Pug - two in the Heysham trap - Heysham NR & Middleton IE the only regular Lancs sites

Baby bird time

Heysham Obs
Work and Frank Spencer-like ineptitude with computers where slotting maps and the like into text is concerned meant that the only way I was going to see a bird of interest was if it was brought into the office.  This is what happened at 1330hrs.  A dog walker appeared at the door with an 'injured bird'.  This transpired to be one of two Ringed Plover chicks which have led a charmed life on Half Moon Bay beach.  The dog had chased one and it crouched "injured" and was carefully picked up and brought to the office in a huge cardboard box!

I ringed it and carefully released it back on to the beach where it immediately established vocal communication with at least one parent

CES
The only things of note on the Heysham CES were two newly-fledged Lesser Whitethroat

Mammal
A Grey Squirrel was messing about under the dog-walker cars along the erserve entrance road

Thats more like it!

Heysham Obs
After yesterdays nadir, allowing Canada Goose to take pole position, a few more gulls this morning comprising:

Ocean edge foreshore/Red Nab at high tide
Med Gull - 2CY with blackish head on sand opposite the old Pontins site
Black-headed Gull - 13
Common Gull - 8
Oystercatcher - 207

Middleton I.E

Four-spot Chaser  13+  just one pond checked
Black-t Skimmer   1+ male on the Darter pool

Early Marsh Orchid  1 subsp. coccinea.I am not aware this has been recorded here before (TW).